I have been diagnosed years ago with ibs and recently my flare up has been on a rampage I went to the doc waiting on a specialist mind u a month ago I'm so miserable I worry about having diarrhea and the urgency of now so I have become so depressed regular doc prescribed lomital but I think it's a bandaide till I get proved to see a gastric doc anyone out there have any tips on foods or anything to help!!!!!!

14 Replies

ask for a referral to st helier s gastroenterologist,uk. my child got ibs and specialist prescribe peppermint oil which caused even excruciating pain and the hospital even cut out his appendix to find out what was wrong. The pain and suffering is unbelievable not just from ibs but also the ignorance of the profession . now with proper help from this fabulous specialist who knows what he is doing, we found out its all about intolerance eg lactose, fructose also bake beans, broccoli, peas etc. everyone is different. so good luck

Have you tried FODMAPS from Monash University. If not please do. You can download the app which will help you get started. It is a way of helping you to find out which group of foods are affecting you do you can cut them out of your diet and get rid of the pain you are having. I would suggest you cut out gluten and lactose immediately to see if either of those are the culprits. There could be many others including those listed by the person above which are common triggers. The app is very easy to follow and is used by hundreds of people on this site.

2 years agoHidden

This sounds like when I had my first bad flare up with IBS. I had always had trouble with constipation and only occasionally had diarrhea. I did not even think I had IBS. Then once during a period of extreme stress I got the WORST flare up that went on for like a month. I felt hysterical because it was so awful and even had a colonscopy, with nothing wrong that could be seen, and all the docs agreed that it was IBS. It finally did calm down but for about a year I had dysfunctional bowels despite how great I was eating. Finally it calmed down and now I just get it occasionally. I told a GI doctor the story once and he said that is often how it happens. I want to encourage you to believe that it WILL calm down, and to try to deal with it the best you can- taking immodium or whatever (I found activated charcoal effective but it can absorb nutrients so I was told not to take it too often). I know it is stressful, but I suggest telling yourself that this flare up will calm down, and then when you have flare ups, try to make yourself as comfortable as possible, and believe that it will not go on forever. Maybe you will be like me and you won't end up living like this forever. Avoiding stress is great advice, but I know that's like "avoiding life", because stress is inescapable. Meditation, yoga, etc. are good things to do, but I do think this flare up will end. Good luck and I hope you feel better soon.

Hi Mandy, we all know how miserable this can get us, every one is different with their diet, it is just a case of keeping a diary and seeing what you eat that flares the ibs off, mine I have found is sugar and meat, and fibrous veg, so I decided to become a pescaterian, which seems to help although I have had a flare up the last two weeks due to Antibiotics. I hope you feel better soon and good luck . Oh and also I take Colpamin to slow the bowel on bad days , I find this doesn't bind you as just Peppermint.

If you haven't already tried it, it sounds like you are a candidate for the low FODMAP diet from Monash University. It is all about avoiding types of sugar that can cause diarrhoea, urgency, cramps, bloating, etc. The diet should be done with a NHS dietician but if you google 'FODMAP' along with 'Monash' or 'NHS' you should get a good idea. Also restrict fat and caffeine as these aggravate an unhappy tum.

To me, your urgency seems a sign of bacterial over-activity so I'd suggest you ask your gp for a lactose & fructose breath test as well as getting on the FODMAP diet.

Hi Mandy, I know exactly how you are feeling and am currently signed off work as have been suffering a "Flare" up for 2 months and its all got too much to bare. However I now believe there is light at the end of the tunnel..I have been on the FODMAP diet for 8 days now and have only been ill twice (2 days) but that was my own fault as I ate something I later found out I shouldn't have. I would strongly recommend you try it med.monash.edu/cecs/gastro/... it's not a diet but more a complete change of eating. When i discussed it with my GP this week she said its the only thing she has seen improve IBS symptoms and the NHS even have FODMAP specialists now, it may be worth asking your GP for a referral to a FODMAP dietician. I wish you the best of luck and as a sufferer of over 30 years I can confidently say your flare up will pass. Sending big hugs x

Thank you so much I have never heard of the food diet but I will look at it. I am still waiting after a month ( good ole California insurances) for a referral to a specialist. Life is rad with ibs very confined to your home due to this

I have recently been diagnosed with IBS as well, started off with acid reflux which I was given PPI for but although the acid reflux went I started getting the sudden need to dash to the loo so they took me off the PPI and then the IBS-D really kicked in. Not sure if the IBS was the original problem or its been caused by the PPI. But now I have the acid reflux and all the rest of the problems that go with IBS, so I have just gone back on the PPI's just to get rid of one symptom and have been given an antispasmodic although too soon to say if works ok.

So have you changed any sort of medication to cause the IBS to flare up ?

If not I agree with the others and try the FODMAP diet and get a breath test done but only try the FODMAP with a dietician do not go it alone. There is alot of conflicting information on the internet about FODMAP's, I was getting very confused. I had already cut out gluten thinking that would help but then my GP said dont bother as I had already been tested for gluten intolerance amongst the loads of tests I have had including a colonoscopy and I dont have a problem with it. The FODMAP diet will only be useful if a food type is a trigger, that isnt necessary what triggers your IBS symptoms it could be something else entirely that triggers it or an issue with overgrowth of bacteria. So something else you could try is a good Probiotic, I havent tried it yet but I have seen good reviews about Symprove Probiotic but its very expensive so I am going to talk to specialist about it first.

Insist on seeing a specialist every area has one now for IBS, my GP was really good and has got me referred to an IBS Clinic which I hope to hear from soon.

I got diagnosed 14 years ago and now become a nutritionist my life is still not great because of my stomach issues but I would like to say a hell of a lot better. Touch wood. You need to completely omit high sugar. Too much fibre. Any dairy. Any gluten. And take yoga classes. Find your trigger. Is it for example travelling then not being able to find a washroom? You will need to slow your life down and get into some good research and planning. Make sure you eat and drink well. No coffee! But natural teas are great. Follow my blog if you would like lots or receipes tips and tricks for free! coconutandwhat.com any question feel free to ask me. I've been through it all.

i take normacol to stgop constipation, imodium when getting the "D" I TAKE MEBEVERINE BEFORE EACH MEAL .Low dosage amytripline may help too. esp if made worse by stress as mine is. have you had lactose test?

on the bright side nobody dies of ibs it can control your life unless you can find the triggers. walking can help.a little wine can help too.iv been taking zydol when pain is bad but not ideal for ibs and codeinne can help if its keeping you awake but again can prolong ibs flare up i find. hope all this is of use. try to think positive i know its not easy when you are having a rough time.